Definitions for armonica

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word armonica

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armonica(Noun)

A musical instrument made of blown-glass bowls mounted on a spindle turned originally by a foot pedal, and played with wetted fingers, producing an ethereal sound. Technically, it is a crystallophone. It has enjoyed a modern revival.

Origin: Coined by Benjamin Franklin, its inventor; built on armonia. glass harmonica is a corruption of Franklin's original word, a backformation influenced by harmonica (a reed instrument invented sixty years later).